Archives of Toxicology

, Volume 80, Issue 8, pp 540–546 | Cite as

Influence of fuel properties, nitrogen oxides, and exhaust treatment by an oxidation catalytic converter on the mutagenicity of diesel engine emissions

  • Jürgen Bünger
  • Jürgen Krahl
  • Andreas Weigel
  • Olaf Schröder
  • Thomas Brüning
  • Michael Müller
  • Ernst Hallier
  • Götz Westphal
Genotoxicity and Carcinogenicity
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:

Abstract

Particle emissions of diesel engines (DEP) content polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) these compounds cause a strong mutagenicity of solvent extracts of DEP. We investigated the influence of fuel properties, nitrogen oxides (NO x ), and an oxidation catalytic converter (OCC) on the mutagenic effects of DEP. The engine was fuelled with common diesel fuel (DF), low-sulphur diesel fuel (LSDF), rapeseed oil methyl ester (RME), and soybean oil methyl ester (SME) and run at five different load modes in two series with and without installation of an OCC in the exhaust pipe. Particles from the cooled and diluted exhaust were sampled onto glass fibre filters and extracted with dichloromethane in a soxhlet apparatus. The mutagenicity of the extracts was tested using the Salmonella typhimurium/mammalian microsome assay with tester strains TA98 and TA100. Without OCC the number of revertant colonies was lower in extracts of LSDF than in extracts of DF. The lowest numbers of revertant colonies were induced by the plant oil derived fuels. In three load modes, operation with the OCC led to a reduction of the mutagenicity. However, direct mutagenic effects under heavy duty conditions (load mode A) were significantly increased for RME (TA98, TA100) and SME (TA98). A consistent but not significant increase in direct mutagenicity was observed for DF and LSDF at load mode A, and for DF at idling (load mode E) when emissions were treated with the OCC. These results raise concern over the use of oxidation catalytic converters with diesel engines. We hypothesise that the OCC increases formation of direct acting mutagens under certain conditions by the reaction of NO x with PAH resulting in the formation of nitrated-PAH. Most of these compounds are powerful direct acting mutagens.

Keywords

Nitrogen oxides Diesel engine particles Oxidation catalytic converter Nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons Salmonella typhimurium/mammalian microsome assay 

List of abbreviations

DEP

Diesel engine particles

DF

Common diesel fuel

LSDF

Low sulphur diesel fuel

NOX

Nitrogen oxides

OCC

Oxidation catalytic converter

PAH

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

RME

Rapeseed oil methyl ester

SME

Soybean oil methyl ester

SOF

Soluble organic fraction

TPM

Total particulate matter

This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

References

  1. Ames BN, McCann J, Yamasaki E (1975) Methods for detecting carcinogens and mutagens with the Salmonella/mammalian-microsome mutagenicity test. Mutat Res 31:347–363PubMedGoogle Scholar
  2. Atkinson R, Arey J (1994) Atmospheric chemistry of gas-phase PAH: Formation of atmospheric mutagens. Environ Health Perspect 102(Suppl 4):117–126PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. Bagley ST, Gratz LD, Johnson JH, McDonald JF (1998) Effects of an oxidation catalytic converter and a biodiesel fuel on the chemical, mutagenic, and particle size characteristics of emissions from a diesel engine. Environ Sci Technol 32:1183–1191CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. Bünger J, Krahl J, Franke HU, Munack A, Hallier E (1998) Mutagenic and cytotoxic effects of exhaust particulate matter of biodiesel compared to fossil diesel fuel. Mutat Res 415:13–23PubMedGoogle Scholar
  5. Bünger J, Krahl J, Baum K, Schröder O, Müller M, Westphal G, Ruhnau P, Schulz TG, Hallier E (2000a) Cytotoxic and mutagenic effects, particle size and concentration analysis of diesel engine emissions using biodiesel and petrol diesel as fuel. Arch Toxicol 74:490–498CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. Bünger J, Müller M, Krahl J, Baum K, Weigel A, Hallier E, Schulz TG (2000b) Mutagenicity of diesel exhaust particles from two fossil and two plant oil fuels. Mutagenesis 15:391–397CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. Carraro E, Locatelli AL, Ferrero C, Fea E, Gilli G (1997) Biological activity of particle exhaust emissions from light-duty diesel engines. J Environ Pathol Toxicol Oncol 16:101–109PubMedGoogle Scholar
  8. Carvalho-Oliveira R, Pozo RM, Lobo DJ, Lichtenfels AJ, Martins-Junior HA, Bustilho JO, Saiki M, Sato IM, Saldiva PH (2005) Diesel emissions significantly influence composition and mutagenicity of ambient particles: a case study in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Environ Res 98:1–7CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  9. Clark CR, Vigil CL (1980) Influence of rat lung and liver homogenates on the mutagenicity of diesel exhaust particulate extracts. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 56:100–115CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. Claxton LD (1983) Characterization of automotive emissions by bacterial mutagenesis bioassay: a review. Environ Mutagen 5:609–631PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  11. Crebelli R, Conti L, Crochi B, Carere A, Bertoli C, del Giacomo N (1995) The effect of fuel composition on the mutagenicity of diesel engine exhaust. Mutat Res 346:167–172CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  12. DeMarini DM, Brooks LR, Warren SH, Kobayashi T, Gilmour MI, Singh P (2004) Bioassay-directed fractionation and Salmonella mutagenicity of automobile and forklift diesel exhaust particles. Environ Health Perspect 112:814–819PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  13. Hannigan MP, Busby WF Jr, Cass GR (2005) Source contributions to the mutagenicity of urban particulate air pollution. J Air Waste Manag Assoc 55:399–410PubMedGoogle Scholar
  14. Kraft M, Eikmann T, Kappos A, Künzli N, Rapp R, Schneider K, Seitz H, Voss JU, Wichmann E (2005) The German view: effects of nitrogen dioxide on human health–derivation of health-related short-term and long-term values. Int J Hyg Environ Health 208:305–318CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  15. Krahl J, Seidel H, Bünger J (1996) Exhaust gas emissions of rapeseed oil based fuels and effects on environment and human health. In: Chartier P, Ferrero GL, Henius UM, Hultberg S, Sachau J, Wiinblad M (eds) Proceedings of the 9th European bioenergy conference. Elsevier, Oxford, pp 1657–1661Google Scholar
  16. Krahl J, Baum K, Hackbarth U, Jeberien HE, Munack A, Schütt C, Schröder O, Walter N, Bünger J, Müller M, Weigel A (1999) Gaseous compounds, ozone precursors, particle number and particle size distributions, and mutagenic effects due to biodiesel, ASAE paper no. 996136, ASAE, Michigan, USAGoogle Scholar
  17. Maron DM, Ames BN (1983) Revised methods for the Salmonella mutagenicity test. Mutat Res 113:173–215PubMedGoogle Scholar
  18. Matsushima T, Sawamura M, Hara K, Sugimura T (1976) A safe substitute for polychlorinated biphenyls as an inducer of metabolic activation system. In: de Serres FJ, Fouts JR, Bend JR, Philpot RM (eds) In vitro metabolic activation in mutagenesis testing. Elsevier/North-Holland, Amsterdam, pp 85–88Google Scholar
  19. Mermelstein R, Kiriazides DK, Butter M, McCoy EC, Rosenkranz HS (1981) The extraordinary mutagenicity of nitropyrenes in bacteria. Mutat Res 89:187–196CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  20. Mortelmans K, Zeiger E (2000) The Ames Salmonella/microsome mutagenicity assay. Mutat Res 455:29–60PubMedGoogle Scholar
  21. Ohe T (1984) Mutagenicity of photochemical reaction products of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with nitrite. Sci Total Environ 39:161–175CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  22. Pan J, Quarderer S, Smeal T, Sharp C (2000) Comparison of PAH and nitro-PAH emissions among standard diesel fuel, biodiesel fuel, and their blend on diesel engines. In: Proceedings of the 48th ASMS conference on mass spectrometry and allied topics, Long Beach, California, USA, available from URL: http://wwwbiodieselorg/resources/reportsdatabase/reports/tra/tra-053pdf
  23. Pedersen TC, Siak JS (1981) The role of nitroaromatic compounds in the direct-acting mutagenicity of diesel particle extracts. J Appl Toxicol 1:54–60PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  24. Pitts JN Jr, Van Cauwenberghe KA, Grosjean D, Schmid JP, Fitz DR, Belser WL, Knudson GP, Hynds PM (1978) Atmospheric reactions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: facile formation of mutagenic nitro derivatives. Science 202:515–519PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  25. Rivedal E, Myhre O, Scanner T, Eide I (2003) Supplemental role of the Ames mutation assay and gap junction intercellular communication in studies of possible carcinogenic compounds from diesel exhaust particles. Arch Toxicol 77:533–542CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  26. Sawyer RF, Johnson JH (1995) Diesel emissions and control technology. In: Health Effects Institute; diesel exhaust: a critical analysis of emissions, exposure, and health effects. Cambridge, USA, pp 66–81Google Scholar
  27. Scheepers PTJ, Bos RP (1992) Combustion of diesel fuel from a toxicological perspective, I. Origin of incomplete combustion products. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 64:149–161CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  28. Shirnamé-Moré L (1995) Genotoxity of diesel emissions, part I: mutagenicity and other genetic effects. In: Health Effects Institute; diesel exhaust: a critical analysis of emissions, exposure, and health effects. Cambridge, USA, pp 223–242Google Scholar
  29. Sjögren M, Li H, Banner C, Rafter J, Westerholm R, Rannug U (1996) Influence of physical and chemical characteristics of diesel fuels and exhaust emissions on biological effects of particle extracts: a multivariate statistical analysis of ten diesel fuels. Chem Res Toxicol 9:197–207CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  30. Syassen O (1998) Diesel engine technologies for raw and transesterified plant oils as fuels: desired future qualities of the fuels. In: Martini N, Schell J (eds) Plant oils as fuels: present state of science and future developments. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp 47–63Google Scholar
  31. Victorin K (1994) Review of the genotoxicity of nitrogen oxides. Mutat Res 317:43–55PubMedGoogle Scholar
  32. Wang YY, Rappaport SM, RF Sawyer, Talcott RE, Wei ET (1978) Direct-acting mutagens in automobile exhaust. Cancer Lett 5:39–47CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag 2006

Authors and Affiliations

  • Jürgen Bünger
    • 1
  • Jürgen Krahl
    • 2
  • Andreas Weigel
    • 3
  • Olaf Schröder
    • 2
  • Thomas Brüning
    • 1
  • Michael Müller
    • 3
  • Ernst Hallier
    • 3
  • Götz Westphal
    • 3
  1. 1.Research Institute for Occupational Medicine of the Institutions for Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention (BGFA)Institute of the Ruhr University BochumBochumGermany
  2. 2.Institute of Biosystems EngineeringFederal Agricultural Research CentreBraunschweigGermany
  3. 3.Department of Occupational and Social MedicineUniversity of GöttingenGottingenGermany

Personalised recommendations